Harry Potter: Good or Evil? A Political Essay
by The Lady Athanasia
Summary: PG because some younger kids might not understand it...I put this bugger up, but for some reason, a stupid flamer didn't like the title (Harry Potter: Heaven or [Heck]), nad FF.net took it down, so I changed the title, and put it back up! Hope you enjoy!


  
  
    

Harry Potter: Heaven or Hell? 

I once read a small blurb in a Reader's Digest (I forget which Reader's Digest it was) You Said It! Column (You Said It! Let's Reader's Digest consumers write in their comments on some of the articles) about how a woman was ranting and raving about how they actually had the nerve to put J.K. Rowling on the cover of the December 2000 issue of Reader's Digest. It went something like this: 

"I cannot believe that they actually put   
J.K. Rowling on the front cover of   
Reader's Digest...Harry Potter is doing   
Much to deepen the evil in this world."  


After reading this, I though to myself "Who does this lady think she's kidding?" 

It is the will of every parent to have his or her child read. I know. My parents practically begged me to read every day. Then, one day, I was at one of my friend's birthday party. My best friend (who will remain anonymous) gave the birthday girl a book. It was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Since my best friend often reads, and has quality taste in the books that she reads, I decided to pick it up for myself. From the moment I read the first page, I was captured within the folds of the book. Behind every book of the Harry Potter series is a wonderfully imagined plot with realistic characters. Each character has his or her own personality that is reflected by the character's dialogue. It took me about three or four days to finish the first one, two days for the second, a day and a half for the third, and one whole afternoon for the fourth. I'm not kidding. Now, my parents beg me to not read and attend my other chores. With Harry Potter, I have seen people who don't regularly read start becoming avid readers like me. Some children will read, but rather grudgingly. The thing that really bugs me, is why any parent wouldn't want their child to read something they love? 

I have a friend who is strongly Christian. When I was reading Harry Potter, she came up to me and warned me not to take it too far and start worshiping the Devil. Why would an 11-year old boy teach other children to worship the devil? In Harry Potter they do celebrate Christmas, and they also have what they call and "Easter Holiday." Sound familiar? Why would devil worshipers celebrate the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ himself? It just doesn't make sense. 

Some people may argue that magic itself is Evil. Well, come on people...everyone believed in magic at some point in their lives. Remember Santa Claus? Well, how did his Reindeer fly? Magic. How did he get up and down the chimney? Magic. How did he get all around the world in one night? Magic again. If you don't believe me, go and ask any self-respecting four-year-old. They'll straighten you out. Also, I believe that feelings are magic. Happiness, sadness, and love. They're all a magic in themselves that God gave us. How do we feel these feelings? The magic of God, of course. Otherwise, there would be nothing worth living for, and what would be the point of creating us? Magic isn't evil unless you make it so, and even then, it's still not that bad. Every story has to have an antagonist, or otherwise no one would read it. 

I think that the only people who don't like Harry Potter are the ones who are too closed-minded to even read it. If you haven't read it, don't criticize it, or you might be making a big mistake. You can't convince people who like Harry Potter that they don't. All I'm saying is that if you haven't read it, don't be so stubborn as to say, "I won't like it at all," or "I'll start doing bad things if I read that," because life isn't worth living unless you are open to new things. I mean, I'm an avid reader of all things Harry Potter, and I'm not a Devil worshiper. I'm Christian, and I've got the soul to prove it. 


End file.
